For all the displeasure with the country’s general direction – more than 70% say the country is on the wrong track, only 40% approve of the job President Barack Obama is doing and only 14% approve of Congress – there is less interest in this November’s voting than there was at this time in 2010. And that’s true across Democrats and Republicans, liberals and conservatives and all age groups.

To get a measure of enthusiasm we looked at the question in the latest poll that asked people to rank their interest in the coming elections from 1 (not interested at all) to 10 (very interested). The table below shows the people in each group that rated November a 9 or 10 four years ago and now.

Less Interest in the 2014 Midterms

Group

2010 % High Interest

2014 % High Interest

Difference

Democrats

52

47

-5

Republicans

68

59

-9

Liberals

54

47

-7

Conservatives

71

61

-10

18-34

39

26

-13

35-49

57

48

-9

50-64

66

64

-2

65+

71

70

-1

Democrats and Republicans can probably both see good news and bad news in those numbers.

For Democrats, the good news is interest has dropped less among their partisans and among self-described “liberals” than it has among Republicans and self-described “conservatives.” For Republicans, the good news is that the interest level has dropped least among those 65 and older, a generally reliable Republican constituency, and it is has dropped most among those between the ages of 18 and 34, who tend to vote Democratic.

But the bigger overall story and trend is less interest in midterms this year than four years ago. And that’s despite the fact that this latest poll shows people blame Washington for the country’s economic struggles more than “long-standing” structural problems. More than 70% of Democrats and Republicans say the country’s economic troubles are mostly due to “the inability of elected officials in Washington to get things done.”

So what’s behind the lack of interest in 2014? In some ways it may be the continuation of a deeper trend. Voter participation in midterms has largely been sliding for decades. The last time it broke 50% for voting-age citizens was 1982, according to the U.S. Census Current Population Survey.

The 2010 election may have brought a Republican wave, but voter participation among eligible citizens was the second lowest on record – 1998 was a hair lower. Going by those numbers, 2014 could set a record for lowest participation on record.

And pushing the voter disinterest may also be an implicit understanding that the country is at a political stalemate. The divided nation has become a crucial part of the American political narrative.

There isn’t a lot of clear direction in this poll to go with all the anger. When asked what message people would like to send with their votes in the fall, 22% say they want to send more Republicans to Washington check Mr. Obama’s power; 24% say they want to send more Democrats to help Mr. Obama with his agenda; and 33% say they want incumbents from both parties to lose. The rest say they have some other message to send.

And while there is broad agreement on some policy ideas, like making student loans more affordable and fixing infrastructure (more than 60% of Democrats and Republicans say such moves would have a positive impact), there are still the usual areas of disagreement.

Click for more charts and data from the August poll.

Democrats are much more likely to say that raising the minimum wage would have a positive impact – 82% vs. 38% for Republicans. And an overwhelming number of Democrats (84%) believe raising taxes on the richest 1% of Americans to give tax relief to the middle would have a positive impact. Only 42% of Republicans agree.

When you add it all up, it looks like 2014 is shaping up to be the unengaged election, with a combination of safe congressional seats and low interest equaling small changes. Republicans likely will pick up some seats, but right now 2014 doesn’t look like a big change election.

Voters may be angry, but anger doesn’t necessarily equal enthusiasm. In 2014 anyway, it may equal apathy.

About Washington Wire

Washington Wire is one of the oldest standing features in American journalism. Since the Wire launched on Sept. 20, 1940, the Journal has offered readers an informal look at the capital. Now online, the Wire provides a succession of glimpses at what’s happening behind hot stories and warnings of what to watch for in the days ahead. The Wire is led by Reid J. Epstein, with contributions from the rest of the bureau. Washington Wire now also includes Think Tank, our home for outside analysis from policy and political thinkers.